Unusually heavy rains have caused significant losses for farmers in Nghe An province.

After the rain stopped, people in Hung Nguyen district urgently harvested their spring rice crop with the motto "Better to harvest while the rice is still green than to let it ripen in the field." Photo: Thanh Phuc

Taking advantage of the dry weather, on May 16th, farmers in Hung Loi, Hung Phuc, and Hung Thinh communes (Hung Nguyen district) started planting.Hurry up and harvest the spring rice crop.Although in some areas the rice is only about 80% ripe, "Following the motto 'better to harvest while the rice is still green than to let it ripen too much,' we have contacted and brought in harvesting machines to finish harvesting the remaining area, to avoid damage if the rain continues. Currently, the rice hasn't been flooded much, a few have fallen over, but it can still be harvested by machine," said Mr. Ho Do Nhuan - Head of Hamlet 3, Hung Phuc Commune.

In one of the areas severely affected by unusually heavy rainfall, people in several communes of Thanh Chuong district are currently working hard to "save" their rice crops. The water is receding slowly, and with forecasts of continued rain, harvesting is proving quite difficult.

Transporting rice home. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Hoang Dinh Thuc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Ha commune (Thanh Chuong district), said: “Nearly 10 hectares of rice fields in the entire commune are deeply flooded due to heavy rain. The low-lying terrain makes drainage extremely difficult. In addition, the drainage canals leading water from the fields to the river are silted up and obstructed by bamboo and reeds, causing the water to recede slowly. Currently, people only have the option of waiting for the sun to come out and the water to recede before harvesting. However, because the rice is affected by rice blast disease this year, it is prone to breakage and shedding; some 'narrow' rice varieties have already lost 20-30% of their grains due to the rain, so a decrease in yield is certain.”

Unusually heavy rain on May 15th caused severe flooding in rice fields in Thanh Chuong district. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to Mr. Thuc, although aware of the low-lying and frequently affected characteristics of the area,floodingTherefore, they restructured the rice crop to include short-duration varieties and planted earlier, but due to the unusually early rains, 90% of the rice crop could not be harvested in time.

In Thuong Tan Loc commune (Nam Dan district), rice and corn crops were not significantly affected, but more than 20 hectares of watermelons, still in their early stages, were damaged. Farmers are now clearing the furrows and drainage ditches, and lifting the vines and fruits onto raised beds to prevent rot. Ms. Nguyen Thi Dong, a watermelon grower in Thuong Tan Loc commune, said: “The watermelons were still young, and the heavy rain caused significant damage. The most worrying thing is that after the rain, the intense heat and sunshine will easily cause the plants to wilt and die.”

In many other localities, corn that was ripening was flattened quite a lot. People went to the fields to "stand" the corn up, mounding the soil around the base of the young corn plants; and harvesting the mature corn. If the plants were bent over and could not be salvaged, people cut them down to feed livestock.

In many areas, the corn has been flattened. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to preliminary reports from the People's Committees of Thanh Chuong, Que Phong, Nghi Loc, and Tuong Duong districts, the initial damage caused by thunderstorms, tornadoes, and heavy rain is as follows:

1.Regarding the person:One person was injured (Luong Le Nhat Minh, born in 2012, son of Mr. Luong Van Chung, from Cao village, Quang Phong commune, Que Phong district, was crushed by a collapsing fence and is currently receiving emergency treatment at the Provincial Friendship General Hospital).

2.Regarding housing: 1Houses are subsiding in Xiangyang County.

3.Regarding agriculture and forestry:There are 128 hectares affected; of which:

- Area of ​​rice fields damaged: 118.58 hectares (Thanh Chuong: 51.5 hectares; Nghi Loc: 12 hectares; Do Luong: 54.8 hectares; Tuong Duong: 0.28 hectares);

- Area of ​​crops damaged: 10.03 hectares (Thanh Chuong: 6 hectares of crops; Nghi Loc: 10 hectares of watermelon and cantaloupe; Do Luong: 3.0 hectares of crops; Tuong Duong: 0.03 hectares of crops).

4.Regarding livestock farming:Livestock that died: 3 animals (Thanh Chuong: 2 buffaloes; Tuong Duong: 1 cow);

5.Regarding fisheries:Fish ponds damaged and swept away: 0.3 hectares (approximately 73 kg of fish swept away in Tuong Duong district).

6. Regarding transportation infrastructure:

- 25 meters of rural concrete road in Thanh Duong commune, Thanh Chuong district, were completely destroyed by landslides.

- The Huồi Xá - Piêng Coọc road in Mai Sơn commune, Tương Dương district, has been affected by landslides spanning approximately 100m and 150m.³soil, rocks.

7.Regarding other facilities and equipment:

- The fence collapsed: 25m (Que Phong district);

- Water supply infrastructure: One project suffered damage, with approximately 60 meters of D90 pipeline broken in Luu Kien commune, Tuong Duong district.

Heavy rains have completely destroyed a concrete road in Thanh Duong commune (Thanh Chuong district). Local authorities have now set up barricades to warn people not to travel through the area. Photo: Thanh Phuc

The Standing Office of the Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Nghe An province has issued a document requesting localities to urgently implement the following: Mobilize local resources to support and overcome the consequences of natural disasters, initially stabilizing the lives of the people, especially households with injured members or damaged houses; Organize inspections and assessments of damage, compile reports and propose support to competent authorities according to current regulations.